Just Enough
by piper maru duchovny
Summary: Who is this Mark Green fella and why does he have Chuck's wife in a tizzy? First ER fic posted. Let me know what you think!


**A/N: This is a MARSAN supporters post Mark's death story. I was a huge MARSAN fan, still am. This is kind of angsty but I wanted to put something out there. Let me know whatya think. So here's homage to my favorite 2 characters**

**Disclaimer: Not MINE**

"Chuck, GET AWAY FROM ME!" Susan yelled as she walked out of the doctors lounge. Carter glanced up and saw Susan ripping her husband of ten months a new one.

"Fine. I'll see you at home." Chuck said softly and backed away. Carter got up and walked over to where Susan was standing.

"Susan..." Carter said softly.

"Don't give me crap about this Carter, not today." Susan nodded and it hit Carter what was wrong.

"Alright Susan. Uhm, I'm off, Moriss and Abby will run the board." Carter said as he headed for the door, but slowly turned, "Hey Suze, I miss him too."

Susan nodded and Carter ran out the door. He sprinted across the road to Ike's, where predictably he found Chuck downing an ice cold brewski.

"Soda water." Carter told the barkeep as he sat down next to Chuck.

"The incomparable Doctor Carter." Chuck spat, he was generally a nice person, but he was in a mood cause of Susan's new attitude.

"Hey. I'm completely replacable. If you'll listen though, I'll tell you what's up with Susan." Carter told him as he sipped his soda water.

"I'm listening." Chuck told him.

"You ever hear of a Doctor named Mark Greene?" Carter asked as he glanced around.

"Nope." Chuck said as he took another swig.

"Well, Dr. Greene was, he was the attending here when I started working back in the nineties. He was Susan's advisor." Carter explained, "But it was more then that. They had a friendship that I had never seen. In trauma they preempted what the other person was going to do. Working in a silent tandem with each other. They had so many saves and smooth rescues. That friendship though extended outside of the ER. They hung out a lot. There was always rumors that Mark and Susan were dating cause they were so close. It was obvious to everyone that they loved each other. Mark was married though."

Chuck raised his eye brows, surely his Susan couldn't be a homewrecker.

"Neither acted on it. Even after Mark and Jen divorced. We all tried to get them together, lord knows that. I think Dr. Ross and Carol had the most failed attempts. They just kept claiming they were only friends. They got into so much trouble. One time they casted my leg while I was asleep in the on call room. So I was running around during this huge Mass Casuality with a cast on my leg. Some Biker finally got it off for me." Carter told him and paused for Chuck to finish choking on his brewski while he laughed.

"ANYWAYS. You've heard about Susan's niece right? And how Susie lived with Susan for a long time? Susan was going to adopt her and then Chloe decided to give motherhood another try?" Carter asked.

"Yeah. Just the Digest version. Susan doesn't like to talk about it." Chuck told him.

"That's Susan for you. Anyways, Susan was inconsolable after Chloe took Susie and moved to Phoenix with Joe. The only person she'd open up to was Mark. He was the first one she told about moving to Phoenix. We all thought he'd buck it up and tell her to stay. He never did. Well not til the day she left anyways. He sprinted all the way across Chicago in rush hour to get to union station. Dr. Ross told me, he kissed her, told her he loved her, she loved him. She left anyways. It broke Mark. He was impossible to live with for the longest time." Carter explained.

"What happened to this Mark guy?" Chuck asked.

"I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it." Carter told him, "As far as I know, they had a few shared phone calls and a couple letters in the next five years. Mark had met someone, Dr. Corrday. Ya know the Brit?" Chuck nodded, "Well they got married and had their daughter Ella. Mark's daughter Rachel was living with them and it was just a mess. Mark had brain cancer. He was operated on and it worked. Then one day, Susan shows up. Mark gloated over Susan and Susan was just soaking it up. It wasn't an emotional reunion, but I think it was like a rebirth for the ER. There friendship and teamwork just lit the place up. Elizabeth didn't like Susan, not at first. She knew something that you're gonna have to learn, but I'll get to that soon." Carter told him.

"What next?" Chuck had abandoned his beer and was sitting on the edge of his seat.

"Rachel was hell on wheels. Mark was doing everything he could do to fix his broken child. One day Rachel was watching Ella and Ella had gotten into Rachel's backpack. Ella got ahold of Rachel's E and ingested it." Carter paused.

"Shit." Chuck breathed.

"Indeed." Carter said and continued, "That sent Mark and Elizabeth's relationship to the gutter. Elizabeth wanted Rachel in jail and Mark wouldn't do that. He felt responsible for her. So Elizabeth took Ella when she was better and moved to a hotel. Mark's confidant was Susan. When his cancer recurred, it was Susan he went to. When it was deemed inoperable, Susan was the one he told. They still loved each other so much, but didn't dare let anything happen with the way things were going. I was also dating Susan at the time, but she saw right through me."

"Abby..." Chuck guessed and Carter nodded.

"Susan was there for him til he left. He never said good bye to her. Just one final lone look across the ER. It was haunting, but I think Susan knew. She seemed really pensive til we found out he had died. He had taken Rachel to Hawaii and spent his last days getting her life back on track. I think she knew she'd never see him again. We got a letter about two weeks later. A letter from Mark. And then one from Elizabeth that said Mark had passed away. That was a year ago today."

"Shit. That's why Suze was yelling at me?" Chuck finally got it.

"Yeah man." Carter told him.

"What happened after he passed away?" Chuck asked.

"Have you ever seen a person who lost their best friend? It was like that. Susan felt regret. There was so many things that were left unsaid. Don't tell Susan, but I think Mark knew. I'm sure Mark knew how much Susan loved him."

"I'm never going to be able to compare to this guy am I?" Chuck asked.

"No. No one will ever compare. Think about it though Chuck, wouldn't you rather play second fiddle than not be in the band at all?" Carter asked him.

"Good point."

"Plus, you have something Mark never had."

"What's that?"

"You have a life with Susan. A son. A marriage. Most of all, you have her heart in your hands." Carter told him.

"Thanks Man." Chuck said.

"You're welcome. Just let her have today. She'll be okay tomorrow." Carter said and got up from his seat and walked out of Ikes.

That night when Susan got home, Chuck gave her a big hug.

"Carter told you?" Susan asked and Chuck nodded into her shoulder, "That boy has a mouth bigger than Doug Ross's."

"I love you Suze." Chuck told him.

"Love you too." Susan said and for Chuck that was enough.


End file.
